The Member of Parliament for Mion Constituency in the Northern Region, Abdul-Aziz Mohammed has rejected government’s claims that it has no control over increasing fuel prices, saying that position “is unforgivable”.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP said “today, we are being told that government can do very little about the price of fuel in the country and that the world market decides the prices”.
Fuel prices were increased recently by 3%, a situation the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers blames on petroleum taxes.
Contributing to discussions on TV3’s New Day hosted by Bright Nana Amfoh on Tuesday, the Mion legislator said “the government, prior to coming to the office, described some of the taxes by the then government as nuisance taxes yet we have high taxes on petroleum products today”.
“You don’t say one thing in opposition and then when you win, you say the other. This is the most deceitful government that we have ever had”, Mr. Abdul-Aziz explained.
He said “they [NPP] said it was NDC, and for that matter the then President Mahama, who were increasing fuel prices, today when we talk, you say it is the world market and the dollar rate but they have a duty to maintain a stable cedi-dollar relations not the people of Ghana”.
But Member of Parliament for Ledzokuku Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, clarified, “government has not introduced any new tax on assuming office. Any tax on petroleum products predates our assuming office”. He rather stated that “excess tax on petroleum products has been abolished and this government came to inherit an economy that was hugely challenged but gradually, we are clearing them”.
